New Delhi, Oct. 19 -- Dear reader,

In journalism school, we were taught that the words we write or speak have great power. After all, it is called "mass" media.

Take, for example, comparing someone to a donkey. This colloquial comparison might seem harmless; after all, donkeys are known to be dumber than their equestrian counterparts. But the truth is that they are stubborn, rather than unintelligent. This stubbornness is often mistaken for stupidity, and thus, the phrase 'donkey brains' was born as an insult.

Unfortunately, we've seen multiple instances of humans beating donkeys up. That stems from this phrase, and this larger belief that donkeys are dumb. And even if they aren't as intelligent as other animals, somehow society has de...